Kang City

Biodata

Feature	Information
Name	Kang City (康城)
Type	Neutral Character (AI)
Location	Northwestern frontier, adjacent to the former Jade Gate Pass 115
Role	Frontier fortress and a crucial transit point between the interior and the lands Beyond the Pass 115
Ruler	Zhou Yan, initially Kang City Magistrate and later Kang City Lord 130 290
Status	Active; remains the Northwest's second political and economic center after the political center shifts to Western Capital 445
First Appearance	Chapter 112

Background

Kang City was originally a frontier fortress rather than a county seat. Located beside the now-vanished Jade Gate Pass, it stands on barren land where hardship fostered a fierce local character. Desert bandits, Gaolin Barbarians, and wandering bladesmen once dominated the surrounding region. 115

Its geographic isolation limited outside control: travelers crossed desolate plains for seven or eight days from the last county town before reaching it. The same remoteness made it difficult for the Zhao Family to project authority into the city. 122

Despite its harsh conditions, Kang City is almost the only transit point linking the interior to Beyond the Pass. The wealth carried by merchant caravans made it a coveted prize for competing factions, while the magistrate's office became notoriously dangerous. 115

Before Zhou Yan's arrival, the yamen system had effectively collapsed after three successive magistrates died gruesome deaths. Local power-brokers ruled through men and guns, the yamen stood empty, and officials could be killed and blamed on bandits without consequence. 130

Appearance

Kang City initially appeared abandoned and degraded: its yamen was overgrown with weeds and filled with filth, while its residents avoided Zhou Yan's incoming force in fear. 130

Within three months of Zhou Yan's administration, the city became markedly busier and more prosperous.

• Streets filled with crowds, shops, merchants, and caravans. 136
• The original yamen had sturdy buildings and grounds large enough to house more than a thousand men temporarily. 130
• Beneath an ancient well lies a naturally formed Yin Cave, later expanded into Zhou Yan's training hall. 135
• By later years, Kang City continued to prosper even after Western Capital became the political center. 410 445

Governance and Administration

Zhou Yan entered Kang City with more than a thousand men and made pacifying the interior his first priority, refusing to confront external enemies while local factions could still threaten his rear. 130

He established an initial administrative structure upon taking over the yamen:

Office	Appointee	Responsibilities
Military Affairs Chief	Yue Feng	Commanded the Kang City Field Army, initially established at 800 men 130
Chief of Administration and Chief Financial Officer	Jin Mantang	Managed internal affairs and finances 130
Chief Legal Officer and Garrison Commander	Ma Yan	Maintained public order and city security, initially with 300 men 130
Chief of General Affairs	Brother Yun	Handled diplomacy, logistics, warehouses, and related affairs 130

As the population and economy grew, administration became more specialized. Zhou Yan expanded the Field Army and City Guard, placed the Police Bureau under the Administration Department, and clarified the judiciary's authority. 151

Jin Mantang later gained broad authority over Kang City's political affairs, administration, logistics, police, and intelligence access, though he could not mobilize troops. 237

Military and Security

Early Pacification

Kang City's forces waged a near-continuous three-month campaign against nearby bandits. Numerous groups were destroyed, while captured bandits were forced into labor supporting the city's development. 135

When more than ten bandit factions assembled a force of roughly 5,000–6,000 men to attack, Yue Feng's preparations and Kang City's cannons and heavy machine guns turned the assault into a rout. Only about 300–400 attackers escaped. 135

Kang City subsequently announced that any bandits approaching the city would be killed. Bandit activity within twenty miles of the city largely disappeared, marking its first firm foothold in the region. 135

Forces

By Chapter 280, Kang City's forces had expanded substantially:

Formation	Strength	Notes
First Army	11,000	Kang City's ace force; included complete artillery and cavalry regiments 280
Second Army	8,000	Sent to rest and reorganize after suffering heavy casualties 280
Third Army	6,000	Helped maintain order Beyond the Pass 280
Death-Defying Camp	~9,000	Formed from absorbed bandits into three columns 280
Police Bureau	2,376	Included a 500-man rifle-equipped police battalion and six Type 57 cannons 280

The city also maintained the Field Army, City Guard, and Death Riders as distinct forces during its earlier expansion. 191

Military Industry and Armaments

• Zhou Yan reorganized local blacksmiths and founded the Kang City Military Works Department on his first day in the city, assigning it to research and develop firearms. 188
• Dragon Walk Chamber of Commerce supplied 300 cavalry rifles, 200 infantry rifles, 50,000 rounds of ammunition, 3,000 shi of grain, and 1,000 bolts of cotton cloth. 166
• Gret later gifted 5,000 rifles, 5,000 carbines, 5 million rounds of ammunition, 60 heavy machine guns, 30 Type 75 Cannons, and 10 Type 105 Cannons. 306
• Kang City's weapon supply relied on purchases from Shen City, battlefield spoils, and limited smuggling; only the First and Second Armies had fully standardized equipment at the time of Gret's arrival. 306

Development

Kang City's rapid growth depended on restored security, merchant traffic, forced labor from captured bandits, and extensive financial investment. Its commerce and population reinforced one another: prosperity attracted caravans and settlers, which in turn further accelerated development. 136

The city later integrated the Gaolin Tribe by dividing and dismantling tribal populations while drawing other mountain tribes into Kang City citizenship. This brought several hundred thousand people under its influence and accelerated development further. 195

Zhou Yan also encouraged displaced people to settle in Kang City. Refugees fleeing war in the Central Plains received incentives, while merchant caravans that transported refugees were rewarded. 399

By Chapter 306, Kang City had become the center Beyond the Pass, attracting merchants, gentry, wealthy people seeking opportunity, and refugees escaping the Central Plains war. 306

Spiritual Protection

Kang City had lacked a City God during its long decline. Zhou Yan used a secret method of Zhong Kui to enfeoff Long Yanzong as its new City God. 293

Long Yanzong's authority includes protecting the city's peace, managing departed souls and ghosts, overseeing good and evil among the living, and blessing the populace. His appointment reduced Kang City's vulnerability to evil entities. 293

Granny Liu remained in Kang City as an additional hidden deterrent and later helped hold the city after much of its strength relocated to Western Capital. 280 445

Relationships

• Zhou Yan — Magistrate who seized the abandoned yamen, pacified local factions, and built Kang City into a regional power. 130 136
• Zhao Family — Formerly influential in the Northwest but repeatedly failed to control Kang City; later became its principal military adversary. 115 318
• Yue Family — Its alliance with the Zhao Family initially constrained direct action against Kang City, while Yue Yuna's trade channels supplied crucial goods and machinery. 196 305
• Gaolin Tribe — Neighboring tribal power that Kang City fought, negotiated with, and ultimately integrated into its system. 187 195
• White Lotus Sect — Formerly hostile faction that later sought refuge in Kang City by offering the White Lotus Treasury. 349
• Dragon Walk Chamber of Commerce — Commercial partner that supplied arms, grain, textiles, and other urgently needed materials. 166
• Gret Adams — Western merchant whose weapons, machinery, matches, white sugar, and steel-mill equipment supported Kang City's military and economic growth. 306 307

Story Role / Major Arcs

Appointment and Arrival

Yue Mingqing transferred Zhou Yan to Kang City after rumors involving Zhou Yan and Yue Yuna threatened the Yue Family's reputation. The city fell within the Northwest Zhao Family's sphere of influence. 112

Zhou Yan arrived to find a vacant yamen, frightened residents, hostile local factions, and a magistrate's office reduced to an empty shell. He responded by taking over the yamen and creating a new governing structure. 130

Establishing a Foothold

Kang City's first major campaign eliminated nearby bandit groups and repelled a combined force of thousands. The victory secured the city's immediate surroundings and made its name known both within and Beyond the Pass. 135

Expansion Beyond the City

Kang City exploited resources in the Gaolin Mountains and desert to finance development, then expanded its military and administrative structure as prosperity strained its original systems. 137 151

Its conflict with the Gaolin Tribe culminated in a policy of population registration, weakening tribal power, absorbing elites, and bringing mountain populations into Kang City's system. 188 195

Conflict with the Zhao Family

The Zhao Family increasingly viewed Kang City as a threat but initially underestimated it, assuming the Yue Family secretly funded and directed its rise. 196 230

Kang City endured blockades, infiltration, assassination schemes, demon-beast attacks, and direct military pressure while continuing to build its forces and economy. 249 287 310

Rise as a Regional Power

Kang City accepted the White Lotus Sect and its treasury despite prior hostility, prioritizing resources and survival during the war with the Zhao Family. 349

After defeating the Zhao Family, Kang City formally took over the Northwest. Its Third Army captured Azure Dragon Pass and Lanzhou City, while Zhao Qiying was taken prisoner. 389

Though the broader polity later centered on Western Capital, Kang City retained exceptional importance as the place where Zhou Yan's power first rose and as the Northwest's second political and economic center. 396 445

Trivia

• Kang City was considered so remote that many regarded it as wilderness or “an entirely different world.” 122
• The city’s first known modernization surge was so fast that Zhou Yan compared its transformation after three months to what he would expect after three years. 136
• Kang City's third expansion was approaching by the time its military totaled roughly 36,000 personnel across armies, absorbed bandits, and police forces. 280